The Mystery Cat
by ModdieMod
Summary: (Actually neko atsume, but I got a lot of ideas from the warriors) When a scary creature starts stealing food from the yard, it's up to Billy the Kitten to save the day. But can he?
1. Chapter 1

The night was cold, much to Billy's grief. Clumps of slush got caught between his claws, and despite his thick winter coat and bandana, the chill in the air made shivers go up his spine. He ducked his head, squinting against the unpleasant gusts of wind, and couldn't help but sigh quietly in relief once he saw the fence.

Green eyes glinting in the street light's wake, he took a cautious sniff, letting the familiar scents waft over him. Pickles, Spooky, and Gozer were here, but..

Their scents were tainted with the tang of fear...and something _else_. Billy's hackles raised and his lip curled in alarm for a split second before he decidedly pounced onto the edge of the fence and craned his neck to take in the scene, claws digging into the wood. All three cats were huddled by the Cat Condo Complex with their bodies hunkered down and pressed close to the floor, making the entire yard seem barren and colder than it really was.

Billy huffed and jumped down, digging his claws into the soil when he landed- and instantly regretting it. The dirt was cold and wet, and made his paws feel slimy. Wrinkling his nose, he stood there for a few seconds, debating.

Before he could make any sort of decision, Gozer lifted his head, and his eyes widened. Well, dang.

"It's _Billy_!"

Billy could feel himself stiffen as all eyes turned to him, and he lowered his head a bit, narrowing his eyes as the three walked up. The cat backed up a bit, shielding himself from Gozer's lumbering and eager stride. Despite the fear in his eyes, he seemed oddly happy.

 _What a weird guy._ Billy lifted his chin and gazed at all of them curiously, tail giving a twitch as they stared at him expectantly.

" _Well_?" he asked gruffly, growing impatient and uncomfortable. "What's going on with y'all?"

"I-it was _scary_ ," Pickles whimpered, shoulders hunched, his ears pressed flat against his head as the fur along his spine raised once more. "We were all hanging out, and-"

"And this _huge_ shadow just comes out of nowhere, and it makes a mad dash for the sashimi, and it just _WHAM_!" yowled Gozer, interrupting the smaller gray cat. "Takes the _whole_ thing and carries it away."

Spooky gave a small growl, aiming a gentle swipe towards the talkative feline to shush him, their ears giving a twitch.

"It didn't take the _whole_ thing, it took _half_ ," they uttered. "And.. whatever it was, it growled at us before taking off."

Spooky licked their chest to smooth out some fluffed up fur and gave Billy a pleading look. The orange tabby blinked.

"... _And_? What do you want me to do about it?" he muttered, lifting a paw and trying to lick bits of frost from in between his toes. It was just sashimi, honestly. They had plenty of other types of food out there. Pickles spoke up next.

"Oh, Mister Billy, sir, it would mean a lot to us if you could... figure out what it was. It was pretty _big_ , and-and- what if it attacks one of us? That thing could be a danger to the whole yard!" he mewled. "What if it starts stealing other things too?"

 _Hm_. That was a good point. Though food and possessions didn't really matter to _him_ , they were the things keeping the yard alive, keeping the community and the other cats safe. Billy gave a sigh and put his paw down, his tail tip flicking back and forth. Giving a reluctant growl, he looked back to the fence.

"..Fine," grumbled the tabby. "I'll hang around some more, see if I can catch the critter in the act, and as for right now... I'll see if I can still trace the scent."

Spooky gave a purr and bowed their head in appreciation, kneading the ground.

"Thank you, Billy," they murmured. "Be careful out there."

Pickles was silent, stunned admiration in his watery gaze. Billy just gave a small sigh, and arched his back in a stretch before nodding silently and turning to walk away.

"Mister Billy, can I come with?" Gozer asked eagerly, shifting his weight from one paw to the other, whiskers twitching. Billy didn't even have to think about it.

"No," he answered simply, trotting up to the fence and giving a mighty leap, turing to face the crestfallen would-be companion. "This is a job for only _one_ tomcat, Gozer. Stay here or go home."

And so, Billy jumped out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

If there was one thing about Gozer, it was that he didn't like being told 'no'. Blue eyes narrowed at Billy as he disappeared over the fence, and his ears flicked in frustration. Why couldn't he come along? Weren't two cats better than one? Was Billy implying something? What if Spooky had asked to go along?

He jumped a bit when Pickles craned his neck to lick his shoulder reassuringly.

"It's probably for the best," he murmured, giving Gozer a friendly nudge before trotting off a few paw steps, turning to Spooky. "Are Bandit and Spud picking you up tonight? I.. don't want to go home alone. I mean, it's fine if you don't want me to come along, or, I just-"

Spooky let out a chirrup, and dashed up to Pickles, gently butting his shoulder with their head. They were a pretty reserved feline, but had a soft spot for the much younger, timid cat.

"Yeah, they are- and don't worry about it. They'll probably be here soon anyway," they mumbled, flicking their tail towards the fence and looking back. "Gozer? You coming?"

The blue eyed cat let out a sigh and nodded, forcing his expression to brighten as he shoved back any other negative thoughts.

"Yep! Princess is coming to pick me up," he drawled, giving a large imaginary yawn that showed off his teeth. "Pretty tired, anyway."

Gozer gave his paw a good lick before rubbing it across his face to wash it briefly, and then he gave a mighty leap onto the fence, swaying. Pickles and Spooky joined him soon after. Though Pickles landed on the other side pretty quickly, Spooky lingered and sat down, giving Gozer a quiet meow to call his attention. The younger cat turned and gave an inquisitive purr before sitting down as well, trying hard not to fall off. His heart was beating rather rapidly, and he gave his own chest a good lick to soothe himself before meeting Spooky's dark, brown eyes.

"Stay out of trouble, alright?" they uttered, giving him a good stare down. Gozer chuckled nervously, eyes darting back and forth before reluctantly meeting Spooky's gaze.

"Me? Aw, Spooker, when have I ever been in trouble?" he joked, giving his paw a shaky wave and twitching his whiskers. "I'm a good kitty."

Giving a snort, Spooky shook their head and briefly put a paw to their muzzle.

"Can't say I didn't try," they grumbled teasingly, standing and giving a good stretch, ears twitching to acknowledge the series of familiar meows coming from below. "I mean it, though."

"Yeah," Gozer answered a bit awkwardly, nodding at him and bidding him goodnight as he leapt to the ground as well. He watched Spooky exchange greetings with siblings, and stared as the four cats padded off into the distance, leaving him all alone.

...Good. Gozer waited until everyone was out of sight before giving the air a good whiff. Billy's scent was still tangible. Strange- it was clearly wintertime, but Billy smelled of warmth, and desert sand. Well, anyway. The plump feline gave himself a good shake before starting on his journey, his strides quick and confident. He was positive Billy had gotten pretty far, anyhow. There was no danger of being seen yet.

And what if he was seen? The thought made his paw steps slow a bit, and his fur fluffed up in uncertainty as a car raced past, causing his lip to curl. Would Billy be angry at him?

Well, he could be angry all he wanted to. Gozer was just trying to help, after all. With another huff, the feline kept going, not liking the scenery as time passed. The neighborhood grew darker, colder, and... Really mean cats came out at night. He gave the air another sniff, and slowed down a bit. Billy's scent was strong now, which meant he'd ahve to be more careful, which meant...

Gozer's ears pricked and he pressed himself against a brick wall, spine arching in trepidation as he strained to pick up any movement around the corner. Luckily, he didn't have to try very hard. A yowl made him jump, and his breath caught in his throat. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't been paying attention.

 _"This isn't your territory!"_ a hoarse voice hissed. Oh no... had they caught him? Maybe Billy had circled back around and left- and no he was all alone with these rouge cats, and, and-

"Ain't gotta yell," a familiar low meow sounded, calming Gozer down significantly. He relaxed bit bit bit, and craned his neck to hear the conversation without being seen, letting the scents wash over him. There was Billy, and three strangers. He was terribly outnumbered. Emotions barreled through him, making his claws scrape lightly against the cement.

He could either stay and try to help Billy, or back away, or even lie low until things died down, or-

"She does if you're _invading_ , freak!" another voice caterwauled. "Get out! Before we _make_ you."

"Listen here, _alley_ _cat_ ," Billy snarled quietly. "I didn't come all this way to get talked down to by a couple of _flea_ _bags_. Move out of my way- I'll be out of your territory soon enough. If I couldn't smell your borders, then this isn't your territory anymore anyway-"

Gozer almost mewled as the area erupted into furious screeching, and the thump of a cat hitting the ground reached his ears. Without even thinking, he barreled around the corner and leapt onto the closest feline there, digging his claws into skin instinctively.

A yell made him stop short, and angry green clashed with frightened blue.

It was Billy. And _boy_ , did he looked ticked off.


End file.
